Mobile air filters in schools: no money has been received yet

The federal government provided 200 million euros in the summer – for the mobile air filters that have long been required in schools. But so far not a cent has been called. The reasons for this are diverse.

The deputy leader of the Greens, Maria Klein-Schmeink, accuses the federal government of having acted far too late in promoting mobile air filters in schools and day care centers. Apparently, the government doesn’t really care about protecting the youngest in the pandemic.

The federal government has decided to install such devices in rooms with poor or no ventilation at all. That was in the middle of July. To date, however, no money has been called up. This emerges from the response of the responsible Federal Ministry of Economics to a request from the Bundestag parliamentary group of Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen.

Payout goes through the countries

A ministry spokeswoman said when asked by the ARD–Capital studiosthat there has been a political agreement between the federal and state governments since mid-August. That was – just four weeks after the cabinet decision – fast, especially during the holiday season. Ten countries have now signed the joint administrative agreement. North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate. Then there is Saxony. According to the education ministry there, the agreement was signed yesterday.

The fact that no country has yet claimed money is not due to the federal government. According to the Altmaier Ministry, the application for and payment of the funds is carried out entirely through the federal states.

Why has nothing flowed yet?

Some countries have waited because it was not clear who would take on the partial funding. In North Rhine-Westphalia there is a state funding program that is now being topped up with federal funds. In Saxony, the level of participation still needs to be negotiated with the school authorities. In other countries, mobile devices have also been purchased in some cases via their own programs. For example, the school authorities in Hamburg ordered more than 21,000 such devices in August.

Skepticism about mobile air filters

But there is also skepticism about the benefits of mobile air filters. The Federal Environment Agency only recommends them if there is insufficient ventilation. Then simple supply and exhaust air systems or mobile air purifiers would help to reduce the virus load in the room by up to 90 percent. The best way to improve the indoor air is through permanently installed ventilation technology. There are so far in around ten percent of German schools.